South Hills

Urban poverty is a serious issue for any city, but a new report shows that Pittsburgh’s suburban neighborhoods may be even more concerning.

A study done by Jefferson Regional Foundation last June found national suburban poverty rates were increasing nearly five times faster than urban poverty rates. In Pittsburgh's South Hills, 20 percent of families make less than $35,000 a year, and the number of children eligible to receive free or reduced lunch has increased every year since 2010.

A city is nothing without its quaint and quirky neighborhoods. Pittsburgh is lucky enough to have several of these neighborhoods, which preserve the culture and history of Pittsburghers. Business contributor Rebecca Harris highlights the neighborhood of Overbrook, a small borough just south of downtown Pittsburgh.

“A child's zip code should never determine her destiny; but today, the community she grows up in impacts her odds of graduating high school, her health outcomes, and her lifetime economic opportunities.”

So reads the U.S. Department of Housing Urban Development’s web page on its Promise Zone program, which aims to counteract the effects of poverty.

Cities are comprised of neighborhoods varying in their socio-economic status, especially Pittsburgh. Each year a city magazine is sure to devote an issue to ranking neighborhoods. However, neighborhoods, like cities, can see their fortunes rise and fall. Case in point, the South Hills neighborhoods of Allentown and Beltzhoover.